North Greenville thumps Albany State in Div. II football playoffs

Saturday

Nov 19, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 20, 2011 at 1:26 AM

By WILL ROTHSCHILDFor the Herald-Journal

TIGERVILLE — For the past month, even as North Greenville has turned in one performance seemingly better than the last, the questions about whether or not this program belonged in the same conversation with the elite of Division II football have persisted.After Saturday's this-isn't-a-misprint 63-14 annihilation of Albany (Ga.) State in the first round of the Division II playoffs, a more appropriate question is just how far can this team go?“We expected to be here,” North Greenville coach Jamey Chadwell said. “Nobody else did, but we expected to be here. When you have that, you won't let anyone step in your way.”As usual, a number of former area high school standouts played starring roles for the Crusaders (10-2):... Quarterback Willy Korn (Byrnes) completed 10 of 15 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Over his past six games, Korn has thrown 17 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. He has 23 total TD passes this season.... Cedric Proctor (Chesnee) returned the kickoff following ASU's only score of the day 75 yards for a touchdown, sending the Crusaders into the locker room with a 42-7 lead.... Center Jacob Morris (Dorman) anchored an offensive line that cleared the way for 309 rushing yards, helping the Crusaders to a 36:25 to 23:35 advantage in time of possession.... Linebackers Nathan Batchelor (Dorman) and Braelen Meredith (Woodruff), nose tackle Mark Smith (Riverside) and cornerback Raheem Hughes (Chesnee) each made key plays as part of a defensive effort that limited the Rams to minus-11 yards rushing while forcing four turnovers.“We watched a lot of tape this week, and we were prepared,” said defensive back Jereme Green, who intercepted two passes, including one he returned for a touchdown for a 56-7 lead in the third quarter.The result was all the more impressive considering Albany State's history. The Rams were making their eighth straight appearance in the playoffs after advancing to the quarterfinals a year ago. It was the largest margin of defeat in a playoff game ever for ASU.“I'm very surprised, I really thought we were ready to play or at least make a better game out of it than that,” said Albany State coach Mike White. “That falls squarely on my shoulders. … They jumped right out on top of us and we got behind and it snowballed from there.”Things started going sideways for the Rams (8-4) on their second offensive play when Stanley Jennings' pass went off the fingers of receiver Mark Bell and was snatched out of the air by NGU corner Isaiah Johnson. That set up Korn at the ASU 28, and Idris Anderson scored on an option pitch from the 9 five plays later.Teryan Rucker scored on a 15-yard TD run to start an avalanche of 35 NGU points in the third quarter. Jereme Green picked off a pass and returned it to the ASU 14 to set up a 10-yard Korn TD pass to Sean Wright to make it 21-0. Two minutes later, Johnson returned a Ram punt 62 yards for a score, and Marcus Wilson capped an 80-yard drive with a 23-yard scoring run for a 35-0 lead.Proctor then capped the half with his dazzling kickoff return. It was Proctor's first action since breaking his foot two months ago.“We're certainly glad to have him back,” Chadwell said. “We were top-10 (in NCAA Division II ) in kick returns when we had him in there. He's a heckuva player.”The win sets up a rematch with Mars Hill, who beat the 20th-ranked Crusaders 38-28 back on Sept. 24 – the last time NGU lost. Korn threw two interceptions in that one, as the Lions rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit.“We have an opportunity to back up there and play again,” Korn said. “They are an excellent football team and they have great players. We're excited about getting the chance for this rematch.”